The magic of sunsets
by Liphuggers
Summary: Summertime is filled with ice cold drinks, long wandering walks, beautiful sunsets and just a touch of romance.


A/N: I do not own the Shakespeare quote or these characters, they are products of Martha Williamson's beautiful mind, the amazing actors that add to their depth and Hallmark Channel/Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and other productions. Enjoy!

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One summer Saturday afternoon, Shane sat on her porch swing. Her screen door opened as Oliver came out with two glasses of ice cold lemonade. He handed one to her and tenderly sat down beside her. He started to swing them gently.

Shane smiled, thanked him and took a sip. She looked over at him; her eyes lingered on his face as she studied it for what seemed like the millionth time. She knew every wrinkle, every strong and soft line, the slight dimple in his chin and knew every freckle.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His strong, square jaw softened as the rest of his mouth formed a smile. He looked at her and their eyes seemed to dance together, as they did ever since that early morning Oliver put the swing together. He took a sip of his lemonade but didn't take his eyes off her. She smiled a bit more and followed his actions. He put his drink down and held it on the arm of the swing.

"Today has been a beautiful day." Oliver said as he turned to look out to her front lawn and slowly stopped them from swinging.

"It sure has." She followed his eyes and sighed. They looked to a small little plant growing in a patch of dirt surrounded by a very small garden fence.

"That rose cutting I took from your childhood home propagated nicely."

"But, no first or last rose of summer." Shane sighed as Oliver glanced over at her. She seemed lost in thought over the small rose planting.

"Not this year, but there is always next, it will have had time to grow and next year we will see how much it has blossomed."

Shane glanced over at him as they locked eyes. It was in that moment they realized how much they both have blossomed individually and as a couple, and how their relationship has bloomed. He put his arm on the back of the swing and in an acceptance of his current silence and openness, she leaned into him just enough to be that much closer to him, but still offer some personal space.

A warm breeze fluttered around them as Oliver started to rock them again. Shane hummed as she came out of her day dream.

"I love the smell of a fresh summer breeze." She sipped on her lemonade Oliver smiled and turned his head towards her.

"Would you like to take advantage of the rest of the evening by going for a walk in Washington Park?"

"That sounds wonderful." She smiled; they got up from the swing as Oliver took both of their almost empty lemonade glasses, opened her screen door and held it open for her. She grabbed her house keys; he put their glasses in her sink, then they walked out the door for an evening stroll in the park.

As they walked through the park they talked about the usual, work, Norman and Rita, her mother, his father and as of late, themselves. They were in the getting to know you phase. Although they knew a lot about each other, this was an entirely new aspect.

"You mean to tell me that Steve never took you on a walk around the Potomac?"

Shane laughed. "Well, not like this. We did when he was around and available for lunch; somehow it wasn't as romantic as it should've been. He would be on the phone or have to leave suddenly, usually leaving me standing in the middle of the cherry blossoms or by the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial."

"That must have been very disconcerting to have him always disappearing."

"I always hoped he'd realize how disappointed I was and come back, or at least make it up to me another time. He never got the chance before I was transferred out here."

"It seemed he tried to before we left to go to the Miss Special Delivery Pageant."

Shane blushed, as she realized he must have seen some part of their kiss or Steve's hands on her waist. "Yeah, well I told him he was too late, I had something that I wanted to see where it went." She smiled brightly.

Oliver grinned. "Well I hope I am not assuming that our makeshift dinner on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial shifted your connotation of it?"

"Honestly, old Abe wasn't much of a talker but he was a good listener." They both laughed, Shane nudged his arm and smiled. Oliver matched her smile perfectly. Their hands brushed each other's and they laughed again.

"I really like weekend Oliver, relaxed and dressed down, letting your hair down."

"I do like to feel comfortable, the same as you would."

"Yes, but I like this outfit a lot."

Oliver looked at what he was wearing; a plaid blue long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and beige pants. He couldn't make a connection as to what she was hinting to.

"You wore this same outfit when you came over to fix the swing. The day Rita called to give you your dad's forwarding address." Oliver sighed and thought about that day. "You had saw dust in your hair, it was cute."

"Cute? Ms. McInerney, I would hardly call manual labor cute."

"Don't sell yourself short, Mr. O'Toole." She smiled sweetly as Oliver chuckled.

They walked down one path in silence, taking in the scenery. Their hands brushed each other's for a second time. They glanced at each other, both wore matching smiles. Oliver saw a tint of pink in Shane's cheeks; it was more than what the summer sun had kissed her with. Oliver's fingers twitched. He clasped his hands behind his back as he usually did, then undid them and let them fall to his sides. He took a deep breath to regain his nerve and as his hand brushed hers yet again; he laced his fingers with hers.

She turned her head and smiled. His smile was as bright as the sun. She obliged him by putting her hand in his. Their hands fit perfectly; as if they were divinely made for each other. They both reveled in the moment.

They continued their evening walk and stopped when they reached the playground. Oliver told Shane about all the good memories with his parents, playing in the park and learning to ride a bike. Shane pointed out the swings where Oliver pushed her, in order to see Charlie's blue gate.

"I wonder if they are still together."

"Your insatiable curiosity is always right under the surface."

"It is my curiosity that has solved a few dead letters." She said very matter-of-factly.

"It has also gotten you into a bit of hot water." He looked over at her as her face told him he hit a nerve. He squeezed her hand lightly as he turned back towards the swings. "I believe Kelly and Charlie are still together, eating bagels with lox and capers, making newspaper boats and sailing them, possibly taking pictures of their adventures and riding their bicycles through this very park."

Shane had watched him as he gave into her curiosity, like he had only a few times before.

Her smile told him everything; giving her those ideas made her see he had thought about it from time to time. In fact, all other cases before she arrived at the D.L.O. didn't have quite the same meaning to him. She came along and challenged him; forced him to think outside the box, outside their office. He gave her hand another little squeeze and with a smile, twirled her around so as to not have her hand leave his. "The sun is going down, come on."

He brought her down to the lake. "This is where you told me my father had died."

It was time for Shane to return a hand squeeze as her other hand fell on top of his. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I remember. I'm sorry we both thought it was Joe, but I am glad you got to have a second chance to make things right and get to have a relationship with him."

""Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'."

Shane moved her hand that was covering Oliver's hand up to his bicep. Oliver's heart skipped a few beats. They stood silently and watched the sun paint the beautiful sky. Splashes of gold, pink, purple, and blue reflected wondrously on the lake.

Shane got a small chill and let go of Oliver's hand to rub her arms. Oliver reached up to his shoulders and winced.

"I'm sorry Shane; I don't have a jacket to give you."

She said it was ok but Oliver knew otherwise. He took her in his arms and rubbed her back to fend off the chill. He hoped she couldn't hear his heart knocking against the inside of his chest, like it did every time she was close to him.

As the sun faded from view and the once vivid sky changed colors, they decided to make their way back to Shane's house. The entire way back, they held hands and made light conversation; flowers blooming in someone's front yard, a tree house that looked well loved by kids and even a swing on of Shane's elderly neighbors porch. In what seemed like mere seconds to Oliver, they arrived at her house. They walked up her stairs and to the front door.

Shane went to unlock her door as Oliver tried to let go of her hand. She turned around and held his hand tight.

"Thank you, Oliver for fixing that leak under my sink. Did you want- umm… would you, like to come in, get your tools…?" She looked down, then back up to his eyes. "…and have a night cap?"

He could sense she didn't want the evening to end, he didn't either. Being the gentleman that he is and the hour that it was, he kindly declined.

Shane was disappointed but understood. It was only then she had realized just how close they were standing to each other.

"Perhaps if you don't have anything to do tomorrow, I could come by after church to see how the sink is holding up…" Oliver then recognized the distance between them had grown smaller. His eyes hadn't left hers since he tried to let go of her hand to let her open the door. He searched her eyes only to find the memory of them back in the D.L.O., Billy Joel filling the space with more than just his music. Oliver swallowed. His heart raced. "…possibly swing again."

The heat between their hands was only a small fraction of the fire that was burning in Shane's chest. Her eyes glanced to his lips and settled back on his eyes. The possibility of them being this close again crossed her mind just about every day.

"I'd love to swing with you, any time. Tomorrow, the day after, next week…" She smiled. "…even next year."

Oliver smiled and it faded as quickly as it came. The world suddenly slipped away. In that moment there was only the two of them. With his other hand, he brushed a few stray strands of her hair out of her face and tucked them sweetly behind her ear. Shane closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. That action was all it took for Oliver to close the gap between them.

Shane's only thought as Oliver kissed her was that this was different than any other kiss she's had before. Fireworks on the fourth of July, all over the United States, dulled in comparison to the fireworks that had exploded in Shane's mind. They slightly pulled away from each other, not wanting to lose that closeness they worked so hard to get back to, they rested their foreheads on each others, and sighed together.

Oliver kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave. Shane held tight to his hand yet again. He turned to look at her. Her faintly devilish smile left Oliver with an overwhelming feeling of the need to kiss her again. Trying not to be greedy, he fought the urge, took the keys from her, unlocked her door and smiled.

"Good night my dear Shane, I will see you tomorrow."

Shane took Oliver's other hand, laced their fingers together and stood on her tip toes to seal the space that separated their lips.

The pure magnetism Oliver felt to Shane now was unlike anything he has ever experienced. He was glad she pulled him in for a second kiss. The thought of waiting until tomorrow was excruciating.

As their kiss dwindled to a few small kisses, Shane got off her tip toes and let go of his hands.

"Good night, Oliver. Tomorrow will be here soon." She said just above a whisper as to not disturb the moment.

They couldn't stop smiling. Oliver held her screen door open as she went in. She turned to him as he closed her screen door; he nodded and started to walk off her porch. He turned as he reached the bottom of the stairs to see her still smiling, before she closed the door. She turned around after locking the door and leaned against the door. Her smile was not coming off her face and she was perfectly fine with that. Oliver's smile never left his face his entire car ride home and it brought him dreams of what the future would hold.


End file.
